


Love Stuck

by CheesePie30



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Language, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oikawa Tooru's Knee Injury, Pining, Slight Violence, Slow Build, Slow Burn, im procrastinating, just a tiny bit, kind of it is on the slow side, theyre so gay, what the fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 03:11:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5727526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheesePie30/pseuds/CheesePie30
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iwaizumi grabbed his best friend's face and pulled it closer to his, foreheads bumping. "Oikawa." He said lowly. "I-- Iwa-chan?" Oikawa stuttered out, a faint pink rising up into his cheeks. Iwaizumi was glaring into Oikawa's eyes. Maybe it was the light, but since when did Oikawa have such deep chocolate eyes? They were swirling vortexes of chocolate brown and flecks of gold flashing every now and then. Iwaizumi found he couldn't look away as he stared into the golden melting into the brown. The only time he looked away from Oikawa's eyes were so that he could look lower, at his pink-stained cheeks. Usually, they would be glowing with life, but this time, they were glowing because of his blush rising up. Iwaizumi looked lower than that, and found himself staring at Oikawa's lips, wondering how they might feel, if they were chapped, if they were smooth and soft or if they were flavored by the damn lip balm he wore all the time, or even if they were too cold because of the night air.</p><p> Iwaizumi wondered if Oikawa would mind if he kissed him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avalescence_hurlocked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avalescence_hurlocked/gifts).



> such trash  
> much iwaoi  
> very gay  
> enjoy
> 
> esp for my ace <3 ((my hero))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a story begins.

Iwaizumi's eye twitched. He had been listening to Oikawa ramble on and on about something or other, when all he wanted was some peace. The sun was already starting to set, and Oikawa was still rambling on about Miyuki or Tsubasa or something close to either of those names. It was vexing, hearing about his latest confession with some fangirl. Not that Iwaizumi didn't like the girls that confessed to Oikawa, but the reason why they did were all just so shallow. _'Because he's handsome'_ , _'He's always so nice when he talks to people'_ , _'He has the cutest, sparkliest, most dazzling smile in all of Japan'_ , or something equal to that. They didn't know his smiles weren't real, that his real ones gave him dimples and made the corners of his eyes crinkle. They didn't know he was actually the most annoying person ever, always staying late for practice to work on his serves. They didn't know how much he could worry a person just by disappearing for an hour or two, because who knows when his knee would act up again and leave him crumpled on the floor in agony again, until someone would find him eventually.

They _also_ didn't know how hard he tried. Tried to be a good captain. Tried to stay strong, for the team. They also didn't know how much of an ugly crier he was, when no one was in a room but himself, and occasionally - no, almost always - Iwaizumi.

He stopped walking, and so did Oikawa, who shot him a confused look.

"What's wrong, Iwa-chan? Did you forget something back at the school? If we're going back you're gonna have to carry me, because I don't wanna walk all the--" Iwaizumi grabbed his best friend's face and pulled it closer to his, foreheads bumping. "Oikawa." He said lowly. "I-- Iwa-chan?" Oikawa stuttered out, a faint pink rising up into his cheeks. Iwaizumi was glaring into Oikawa's eyes. Maybe it was the light, but since when did Oikawa have such deep chocolate eyes? They were swirling vortexes of chocolate brown and flecks of gold flashing every now and then. Iwaizumi found he couldn't look away as he stared into the golden melting into the brown. The only time he looked away from Oikawa's eyes were so that he could look lower, at his pink-stained cheeks. Usually, they would be glowing with life, but this time, they were glowing because of his blush rising up. Iwaizumi looked lower than that, and found himself staring at Oikawa's lips, wondering how they might feel, if they were chapped, if they were smooth and soft or if they were flavored by the damn lip balm he wore all the time, or even if they were too cold because of the night air.

"Shut the fuck up." Iwaizumi said, eyes flicking back up to Oikawa's molten eyes. Through the bottom of his eyes, he saw Oikawa's pink tongue dart out to lick his lips. 

"Make me." Oikawa replied, eyes flashing with an emotion Iwaizumi couldn't put his finger on.

Iwaizumi wondered if Oikawa would mind if he kissed him.

Instead of doing so, he pushed his hands closed, smushing Oikawa's cheeks together. Muffled whines of "Iwa-chan!" came from Oikawa's face. Iwaizumi pulled away and laughed, hands still smushing Oikawa's cheeks. It wasn't long before his hands were smacked away by a pink-faced, pouting Oikawa. "Meanie Iwa-chan. You're so mean!" He said, shoving a finger into Iwaizumi's chest. Still laughing, Iwaizumi caught his wrist and pushed it back toward him. "You're so annoying and loud." He said, mentally waving away the thoughts he just had about kissing his best friend. “Psh, but you’re still my best friend who’s always right there for me, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said, throwing an arm around Iwaizumi’s shoulders, pulling him to his side. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Someone has to take care of you.” He said, brushing off Oikawa’s arm and walking a few paces ahead of him.

Oikawa pouted before catching up to Iwaizumi, hands resting inside his pockets, because it was nearing winter, and the nights were getting colder. He tried to convince himself that the quick beats he was feeling in his chest was because he was excited about the next day, because he was going on a date with a cute girl, and she was cute enough, sure, but she wasn’t… She wasn’t his type. None of the girls he had ever dated were his type, actually. They were all flings, fillers. It wasn’t that he did it to gain a reputation; it’s just that he hardly could say no. And it wasn’t like anyone was stopping him from getting dates, either.

It wasn’t like he was dating anyone, so no one would try to stop him if he went on dates.

Even though he kind of did want someone to stop him.

Even though the person he wanted to stop him from going on dates with girls was right there.

Even though they were his best friend.

Oikawa tried passing off the fluttering in his chest as nervousness for his upcoming date, but he knew better. He knew it wasn’t because of the date at all, because he had hardly ever been nervous for a date, except the first few, and even then, none of his dates knew anything. They were all swept up by his smiles and his gentlemanly actions and smooth words and flirtatious winks.

And after every date, Oikawa would tell Iwaizumi. Searching, hoping, for any kind of reaction from him. A sign that, maybe, maybe he liked Oikawa back. Maybe he reciprocated Oikawa’s feelings, maybe he spent night after night imagining himself and Oikawa, being together, growing up together, and living a domestic life—

But every time, he got a noncommittal grunt and the occasional; “Sounds nice."

Every time, Oikawa’s heart sank a little more into lovesickness.

Some nights, when he was alone in his room, he would close his eyes, and imagine a world where he was with his best friend, maybe holding his hand, doing everything he did on dates with those girls, and his heart would beat a little faster, head get a little lighter, lips curl up into a small, pained smile. He would fall asleep like that, dreaming about dating his best friend.

He would wake up like that too, lovesick and loveless, but hopeful.

Now? Now he had more fuel to add to the fire. He wasn’t dense, he saw Iwaizumi’s eyes flicker down to his lips; saw the light dusting of pink on his cheeks. He just needed it to happen again. Maybe then, Iwaizumi would actually pull him in for a kiss.

“Oi, Shittykawa, what’re you smiling about?” Iwaizumi said from beside him. Oikawa glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, before stretching out the small smile on his face to a wide grin. “I’m thinking about my date tomorrow, Iwa-chan! Were you even paying attention to what I was saying a while ago?” He said. Oikawa heard a small scoff from beside him. “Yeah, right. Like I wanna hear about your latest update on your love life.” Iwaizumi said. Oikawa bumped his shoulder to Iwaizumi’s. “Mean! You could at least try to pay attention.” He said, and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face, one that always got Oikawa’s heart going wild, just like in that moment. Oikawa pouted and looked ahead of him, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his chest, like he always did.

The next day had Iwaizumi seated in Oikawa's room, watching as the other matched clothes over and over. "I don't think she cares about what you're going to be wearing, Trashykawa." He said. "You could probably go wearing a trash bag and she wouldn't care." He added. He heard an annoyed noise come from Oikawa's turned back. "That isn't the point here, Iwa-chan! All your clothes are jeans and shirts, so they all match, but when you have an extended collection of shirts, pants, and shorts you can't just whip something up!" Truth be told, Oikawa looked good even if his clothes didn't match. If he wore a neon pink shirt and yellow shorts, he could miraculously pull it off, in Iwaizumi's opinion. "Just use... That shirt," Iwaizumi pointed to a light blue shirt with a checkered pattern running across the chest, "with your black and white plaid button down and your jeans. And don't forget to bring a jacket." Iwaizumi added. Oikawa thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, sounds good!" Iwaizumi didn't bother mentioning that a plain shirt under an open button down was Oikawa's signature look for a date. He tilted his head up to stare at the glow in the dark stars on Oikawa's ceiling as Oikawa changed. It was some kind of unspoken rule between the two that, even if they changed regularly in front of the other, watching each other change, and in such a private location like a bedroom, was a no-no. He looked back down to see Oikawa rummaging through a small box. He was probably looking for a necklace and his watch. Iwaizumi stood up and walked over to help him put on the necklace he chose. It was a silver and gold braided chain, which Oikawa wore to dates every now and then. Oikawa snapped on a watch. His look was complete.

"I'm off!" Oikawa said, hand reaching for the door before Iwaizumi stopped him. "Oi, dumbass, you're going to catch up a cold if you go out without a jacket." Oikawa waved his comment off. "If I don't go now, I'll be late!" He argued. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes before hitting Oikawa on the head. "You should've gotten ready earlier." He scolded as he slipped his arms out of his black jacket. "Here, dumbass." Iwaizumi shoved his jacket into Oikawa's hands. He didn't even let Oikawa open his mouth to complain about how his jacket wouldn't match with his outfit, just opened the door and shoved him out. "Bye, Trashykawa." He said before shutting the door in Oikawa's face.

Oikawa stood at the door, frozen for a moment or two, before looking down at Iwaizumi's jacket in his hands. He lifted it up and slipped his arms in, then shrugged it on. It was a bit broad on his shoulders, which made the sleeves seem longer, reaching down to his knuckles, but he didn't mind.

Quite the contrary.

He zipped up the jacket halfway, then stopping for a moment before zipping it up the rest of the way hesitantly. His cheeks pinked. Iwaizumi's jacket was warm from his body heat, and it was like Oikawa was being enveloped by Iwaizumi. He felt his cheeks darken as the familiar scent of Iwaizumi's cologne wafted up his nose. Before he could waste any more time, he turned around and quickly walked away, not so eager to get to his date, but eager to leave anyway.

Iwaizumi frowned as he watched Oikawa leave. It wasn't that they hadn't shared clothes before, but ever since the previous day, everything that they used to do seemed... Different. Like there were other, more personal meanings hidden behind them.

For example, after reaching Oikawa's house, Iwaizumi waited before Oikawa got inside his house safely to leave for his own house, which was further down the street. He always did that, ever since Oikawa's knee injury.

But now, after what had just happened… It seemed more like something a _boyfriend_ would do.

He wondered about this, fidgeting before he picked up his phone and texted his friends for advice.

Iwaizumi: _[Hey do you guys think waiting for someone to go into their house before you leave for your house is okay?]_ He sent to his group chat with Makki and Mattsun.

Hanamaki: _[what what’s this about]_

Matsukawa: _[y r u asking]_

Matsukawa: _[is this from ur cousin or smth]_

Iwaizumi pursed his lips before hesitantly typing out a reply.

Iwaizumi: _[No.]_

Iwaizumi: _[It’s just about oikawa.]_

He almost immediately regretted it.

Matsukawa: _[ohhh oikawa??]_

Matsukawa: _[y didn’t u say so]_

Hanamaki: _[honestly, i’d be more surprised if you didn’t wait for oikawa to go inside his house before going to yours]_

Iwaizumi: _[Wait, what?]_

Hanamaki: _[i mean]_

Hanamaki: _[it’s obviously the good thing to do]_

Matsukawa: _[yeah I mean if u didn’t idk what we’d do 2 u]_

Iwaizumi: _[What?]_

Hanamaki: _[what do you mean ‘what?’]_

Iwaizumi: _[I mean, what the hell are you guys talking about?]_

Matsukawa: _[we just care 4 u and oikawa is all]_

Hanamaki: _[ur lowkey mom and dad]_

Matsukawa: _[im the dad]_

Hanamaki: _[what no like hell you are im the dad here]_

Matsukawa: _[no way ur so the mom]_

Iwaizumi: _[Wait wait wait]_

Iwaizumi: _[Just stop for a minute here]_

Iwaizumi: _[What the hell are you guys talking about]_

Matsukawa: _[wdym]_

Iwaizumi: _[I mean, whats with the business about me and oikawa?]_

Hanamaki: _[oh right ha]_

Matsukawa: _[dont tell him]_

Hanamaki: _[nvm]_

Iwaizumi: _[Guys what the hell]_

Iwaizumi: _[What the hell are you guys keeping from me]_

Hanamaki: _[just cant believe you wouldnt even tell us]_

Iwaizumi: _[Tell you what?]_

Matsukawa: _[damn ur really not giving it out]_

By now, Iwaizumi was annoyed at his friends.

Iwaizumi: _[Guys i swear i will kick both your asses if you dont tell me whats going on]_

Hanamaki: _[wait, mattsun, i think hes serious]_

Matsukawa: _[what do u mean like]_

Matsukawa: _[hes pretending not to kno or he rly doesnt kno]_

Hanamaki: _[2]_

Matsukawa: _[omfg srsly]_

Hanamaki: _[super seriously]_

Iwaizumi: _[You guys are of no help]_

_Iwaizumi Hajime has gone offline._

Matsukawa: _[makki]_

Hanamaki: _[?]_

Matsukawa: _[i get the feeling]_

Hanamaki: _[iwaizumi doesnt know?]_

Matsukawa: _[yeah]_

Hanamaki: _[do we do anything about it]_

Matsukawa: _[duh]_

Hanamaki: _[ok]_

Hanamaki: _[meet me at that cool place with the really good ramen]_

Hanamaki: _[bring ur wallet]_

Suddenly, Iwaizumi couldn’t help but shiver as he felt a wave of unease settle over him. It didn’t help that, right after he felt the wave of unease, he got a text from Mattsun.

Mattsun: [YO IWAIZUMI WE’RE GONNA HELP U THRU THESE TRYING TIMES]

Iwaizumi almost wished he never talked to them and became friends with them, or at the very least, he regretted giving them his phone number.

Hanamaki waited outside the ramen place for a few minutes before Matsukawa finally showed up.

“Took you long enough.” Hanamaki said. “You’d better have brought your wallet, because you’re paying since you made me wait out here.” Matsukawa scoffed. “No way. You could’ve gone inside. And, you never specified a time that we had to be here, so technically I’m not late.” He said, grinning. “Oi, you said you’re the dad, right?” Hanamaki said, returning the grin with one of his own as they stepped into the ramen place. ”So that means you have to pay for my meals, like a good husband.” He added jokingly. “Excuse me, but I didn’t sign up for this kind of abusive relationship regarding you and my wallet.” Matsukawa said as the two of them slid into a booth across from each other. Hanamaki snorted. “We aren’t even in a relationship, so you can’t say anything but pay for my food.” He said, a small snicker leaving his lips. Matsukawa felt his eye twitch.

They weren’t in a relationship, true, but they acted like they _were_ , most of time. It fooled almost everyone they’d ever met. Sometimes, it even fooled Matsukawa himself, and oftentimes Hanamaki’s words, the same ones that would bring him to the other reality where they _were_ dating, would bring him back into the reality he was _actually_ in, the one where they _weren’t_ dating.

A waitress came and handed them each a menu, bowing before leaving. Hanamaki picked up his menu and read it briefly before putting it back down, already knowing what he wanted from the many times he had been there with Mattsun. Matsukawa rolled his eyes before reading his menu. Sometimes he liked to order something else, just so he could try out the other stuff on the menu. He glanced over his menu to look at Hanamaki, who was tapping away on his phone. He put down his menu before kicking Hanamaki’s leg gently under the table, getting his attention. “Order something for me, I’m gonna go gunpowder my nose.” Hanamaki scrunched up his nose. “Why do you always have to say it like that?” Matsukawa sent a devilish grin to Hanamaki. “Because I know you hate hearing it.” Before going to the comfort rooms.

Meanwhile, Oikawa’s date was going… Alright, to say the least.

Okay, that was a lie. It was boring, the movie she picked was boring, she was too busy watching the movie to even think about doing anything else, and Oikawa was pretty sure he was one phone glow away to being kicked out of the movie theatre.

Actually, that probably wasn’t too bad of an idea. Oikawa thought about it for a moment before shaking the thought out of his head. It had already been an hour and thirty minutes, so the movie was going to end soon. Oikawa was staring at the screen, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Iwaizumi was doing. He was probably doing his homework. Oikawa’s nose scrunched up slightly, before he quickly relaxed his face so his date wouldn’t see that he wasn’t thinking about the movie at all.

Honestly, he would’ve preferred watching Godzilla twenty times in a row with Iwa-chan rather than watch this romantic comedy with her.

It would be better if he had been watching this movie with Iwa-chan. They could critic it together, snicker silently beside each other as they pointed out the plot holes and made up lines for the character’s thoughts.

_“I love you.” The female lead would say sadly._

_“But you’ve got halitosis.” Oikawa would whisper to Iwaizumi, and the two of them would struggle to keep in their laughs in the darkness of the theatre._

Oikawa blinked and found himself back in the reality that he wasn’t with Iwa-chan, he was on a date with a girl, not his best friend, and she was way too into the movie to even notice how he breathed a small sigh.

He would much rather be spending the day with his best friend than anyone else, even if it was just the two of them sitting side by side silently.

Iwaizumi sneezed.

“Someone must be thinking about you, Hajime!” His mother said from the living room. Iwaizumi sniffed before turning back to his homework.

He didn’t understand why, but a small part of him hoped that someone was Oikawa. _‘But that’s ridiculous,’_ he told himself as he erased a wrong answer, _‘he’s busy on his date.’_ He tried to fight himself, but the small, hopeful thought remained.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things happen, but not those things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 19th  
> this is... i dont know what this is.

When the movie was over, Oikawa’s date announced that she was _getting_ _hungry, maybe they should go get something to eat?_ And Oikawa agreed.

As a gentleman should, he offered to pay for her food.

She tried making conversation, but all the topics she wanted to talk about didn’t really matter to Oikawa. He was, of course, polite, so he went along with the conversation, pasting on a fake smile she ate up like her life depended on it. 

Oikawa walked her home, since it was already beginning to get dark, and she lived pretty far from where they had their date. As they were walking down a sidewalk, Oikawa couldn’t help but notice how small she was. She wasn’t just short, she was petite. Tiny. Small hands, small feet, but she had long hair and a big heart to match her big brain. She was a year younger than Oikawa, and she was in Class 5. Not just that, but she was also the vice-president in her class. Oikawa stayed a good distance away, one that could be counted as respectable because of the distance, and yet he stayed close enough that other people wouldn’t try to make a move on her. The two of them didn’t bother trying to hold hands, which Oikawa appreciated greatly, though she still kept chattering as they walked.

When they reached her house, she hesitated before going into her house. Obviously she wanted a kiss. Oikawa tried not to snort at the idea before turning around 180 degrees and beginning to make his way back to his own house.

Meanwhile, Iwaizumi had finished his homework, and he was just lazing around on his bed, scrolling through his Facebook News Feed. He liked a picture of his cousin’s new profile picture, even though it was a character from a show he had never watched before. Miraculous Beetle or Butterfly or something, Iwaizumi made a mental note to ask his cousin about it the next time they saw each other. He flopped his arm on the bed, phone sliding away from his fingertips. He squinted up at his ceiling, dark in the lack of light his room had because he hadn’t bothered turning on the light when the sun had finally set. He glanced over at his phone, wondering why Oikawa hadn’t texted him. Usually, after a date, Oikawa would text or call Iwaizumi immediately, but tonight he wasn’t. Was it because of what had happened the day before? Iwaizumi didn’t want to think about it.

Unfortunately, he was forced to when Oikawa’s mother called them on the house phone.

“Hajime? Oikawa’s mother is on the phone, she’s asking for you!” Iwaizumi’s mother called from the living room, and Iwaizumi sat up immediately, quickly going out his room to answer the phone.

“Hello?” Iwaizumi said as he put the phone to his ear.

“Hello? Hajime-kun, is Tooru there?” Oikawa’s mother said nervously, and Iwaizumi felt a feeling of dread settle in the pit of his stomach.

“He’s not home yet?” Iwaizumi asked, and he heard a faint cry come from the receiver.

“No… I tried calling him, but he wouldn’t pick up…” Oikawa’s mother sounded close to tears, and Iwaizumi felt a pang of pity for her.

“Don’t worry, Oikawa-san. I’ll go out and find him, and knock some sense into him.” Iwaizumi said, mouth set in a determined line. 

“Oh… No, I couldn’t possibly put you in danger as well, Hajime-kun…” Oikawa’s mother said, and Iwaizumi could _see_ her shaking her head gently.

“I insist.” Iwaizumi said firmly. “You and your husband stay and wait for Oikawa; maybe he’ll come back home soon.” He added.

Oikawa’s mother was quiet for a moment, thinking. She knew Hajime-kun was a determined boy, if he set his mind to it, he most definitely would do it, much like how her son was. Perhaps that was why they were such good friends, how they worked so well with each other. She also knew that Hajime-kun wasn’t easily troubled by things like this. He didn’t feel bothered if he was asked to search the whole town for his best friend; which was exactly the reason why she felt so guilty. He was a precious son, hardly disobeyed his mother, and was a good friend and second son to her family. She couldn’t let him go out into the darkness of the town by himself. She couldn’t bring herself to put another child in danger as well as her own, but she knew that if her son _was_ lost out there, he would most definitely want Hajime-kun to be there for him.

Her husband placed a hand on her shoulder. “I think we should let Hajime do what he wants.” He said in his deep, fatherly voice. She nodded. “I think so too, but…”

“Oikawa-san, I insist that I do it. If it’s Oikawa we’re talking about… I’m willing to run out to look for him. You two should stay there and be ready for him, for when we come back.” Iwaizumi’s voice came through the receiver, and Oikawa’s mother sighed with a small, knowing, yet pained smile on her face. “Okay, Hajime-kun… Thank you.” She said sadly.

“You all are practically family to me, and he’s… He’s important to me, too.” Iwaizumi said before hearing her let out a small cry. “Be careful, Hajime-kun.” She said, before Iwaizumi put down the phone.

“Mom, I’ll be going out!” He said loudly as he hurried up to his room to grab a jacket, scarf, phone, gloves, and wallet which held all of his basic information. Name, date of birth, address, blood type, phone numbers, the like. He put on his warmest pair of socks and his winter boots and ran back down the stairs, skipping the last three, and he skidded to a stop in front of his mother. “Mom.” He said, slightly guilty. He was probably going to make her worry about him while he was off looking for Oikawa. “It’s okay, Hajime.” She said, a smile on her face that made Iwaizumi’s insides churn with guilt. He fiddled with the hem of his jacket. “Stay safe, okay?” She added as she handed Iwaizumi a small flashlight, slipped a beanie on his head and kissed him on the cheek as they walked to the front door.

Iwaizumi looked calm as he walked away from his house, but when he was sure his mother couldn’t see him, he broke out into a sprint. His heart was doing wild palpitations in his chest, and he honestly couldn’t figure out if it was because of him breaking out into a sudden sprint, or whether it was because of his fear, bubbling in his gut, making him worry about Oikawa. He skidded to a stop at a street corner and pulled out his phone, messaging Makki and Mattsun on their group chat.

Iwaizumi: _[Guys have you seen oikawa?]_

Iwaizumi: _[He isn’t home yet and it’s worrying his parents.]_

Iwaizumi: _[Hell, it’s even worrying my parents.]_

He didn’t have to wait too long for Makki and Mattsun to reply.

Matsukawa: _[wasnt he on that date]_

Hanamaki: [ _dont worry we’ll help u out]_

Matsukawa: _[yeah]_

Iwaizumi: _[Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.]_

Matsukawa: _[dont get all sappy now]_

Hanamaki: _[_ d-(˚◡˚)-b _]_

Hanamaki: _[anyway he was talking about it during lunch yesterday and apparently the girl lives near my uncles house]_

Matsukawa: _[o rly? small world]_

Hanamaki: _[yeah ill text the address to you iwaizumi]_

Iwaizumi smiled down at his phone. He really had some great friends. Stupid, sometimes, but they were pretty great nonetheless.

Iwaizumi: _[I really appreciate it, guys.]_

Hanamaki: _[just go get oikawa back for us_ ôヮô _]_

Matsukawa: _[_ ◕3◕ _go go “iwa~chan”~~_ _]_

Iwaizumi: _[Oi, fuck off guys.]_

Iwaizumi: _[I appreciate the help but don’t think I won’t kick both your asses for that.]_

Matsukawa: _[_ (◕︵◕) _what, only oikawa can call u “iwa-chan”?]_

Iwaizumi: _[Yes.]_

Hanamaki: _[_ ô – ô _]_

Iwaizumi: _[What?]_

Hanamaki: _[nothing nothing]_

Hanamaki: _[im gonna text you the address now]_

Iwaizumi: _[Alright, thanks.]_

Iwaizumi waited for Makki to text him his uncle’s address, and when he got it he got the directions, locked his phone and put it back in his pocket before running to Hanamaki’s uncle’s place.

Oikawa was sitting on a park swing silently, eyes closed tight. He took in deep breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling. Every movement made him wince. His blood pulsed in his ear as he tried to will away the pain in his knee. He would gladly just hobble home, but the roads had iced over, and Oikawa already slipped once, almost falling forward on his (already in pain) knee. This time, it wasn’t even his fault that it acted up. He had taken all the precautions.

Well, almost all of them.

He had been walking down the street from his date’s house. He had just pulled out his phone to text his mom (and Iwa-chan) that he was finished with his date and on his way home, when he noticed a movement out of the right corner of his eye. He, rightfully, grew wary of a darkened stranger leaning against the wall, so he quickly crossed the street and made to pocket his phone. But almost as soon as he put his phone in his pocket, a different shadow leapt out from in an alleyway Oikawa swore wasn’t there before. He was pushed back against the wall and his attacker put him at knife point, the blade reflecting the moon’s low light. Oikawa’s eyes darted, trying to find a place to escape when the cool of the blade was pressed even closer to his neck. “You can’t escape, unless you give us your phone and your money.” Rather than ask the stupid question ‘Us?’, Oikawa reached into his pocket and shakily handed his attacker his phone and wallet. He could _hear_ more than see the cruel smirk on his attacker’s face as they swiped both objects out of Oikawa’s hands and pulled away slightly, blade still pointed at Oikawa. Gaining just a bit of vision back let Oikawa see that the suspicious figure on the other side of the street was staring at them, and before Oikawa could croak out a cry for help, his eyes fell to their side, where they were holding… a gun. “Don’t even try calling for help. He’s with me.” His attacker said smugly before Oikawa was shoved down quickly, so fast Oikawa couldn’t catch himself on his hands, and a loud thud resonated in his ears as his knee slammed against the asphalt. “Don’t get any ideas.” His attacker spat out before the two fled.

Oikawa was left there, gasping as his vision darkened and pain zipped through his body. He needed to get up. He needed to get up. He clutched his knee as he attempted to rise on one shaky leg. He stuck close to the wall of the building beside him as he slowly walked. He needed to find a place to sit, and he knew there was a park nearby, since he passed it earlier that day when he was bringing his date home.

Which brought him to the situation he was in then. Sitting alone, in a darkened park, his knee throbbing with pain. The pain had lessened ever since a few minutes ago, but Oikawa couldn’t walk properly still. His hands balled into fists on his lap as he felt tiny pinpricks in the backs of his eyes. He shivered. It was pretty damn cold, and he was honestly so thankful that Iwaizumi shoved his jacket toward him before he left. He burrowed into the jacket a little bit more. He stayed like that until the cold finally got to him, and he sneezed loudly, the sound echoing in the empty space.

What was probably ten minutes felt like an eternity, like time had frozen over, and it felt like Oikawa was next. It gently started to snow, and Oikawa might’ve been hallucinating, but he swore he heard footsteps. He leaned gently against one of the bars as he saw his breath form a small cloud in the cold early winter air.

He sneezed, twice, and sniffled before he heard the voice of his hero.

“Oikawa!”

_Iwa-chan,_ Oikawa thought, and his heart was doing a weird thing in his chest where it felt like it was going to break out of his chest cavity. “Iwa-chan!” He croaked out, throat dry from inhaling the cold air. A figure so distinctly _Iwa-chan_ stepped into Oikawa’s line of vision, by the entrance of the park. “Oikawa!” He yelled out, and Oikawa’s heart decided to move from his chest into his throat. “Iwa-chan!” Oikawa could barely feel his face, but he knew he was smiling. The Iwa-chan-esque figure turned to look at him and started running.

Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi slid to a stop in front of Oikawa. “Oikawa, what the hell happened?” He said, his voice half-worried and half-irritated. “Ah… Iwa-chan… I… got mugged.” Oikawa said, having the decency to look down like he was ashamed at being out so late at night, although it didn’t last very long, since Iwaizumi tilted Oikawa’s face up. “Are you hurt anywhere? What did they take? Why didn’t you walk home?” Was the barrage of questions fired at him from Iwaizumi. Oikawa could only smile a pained smile. “They took my phone and wallet. And… they pushed me down.” He said, smile falling from his face as he ducked his head again, hand opening to brush the tips of his fingers on his right knee.

“What.” A single word expressed so much anger and hate, Oikawa’s head snapped up to look up at Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi’s eyes were full of rage, and Oikawa jerked back slightly at the pure anger radiating from Iwaizumi. “Iwa-chan, it—“ _it’s okay._ “No, Oikawa. Just—“ Iwaizumi took off the beanie on his head to run his hands through his hair, irritated.

“We can’t do anything about it now. I didn’t see their faces.” Oikawa said softly. Iwaizumi sighed. “Okay. Okay. Let’s just… go home.” Iwaizumi said, sounding tired. “Let me just text your parents before we go.” He said, and a somber silence surrounded them as Iwaizumi pulled out his phone to quickly shoot a text to their parents. “C’mon.” Iwaizumi said, and he bent over in front of Oikawa. “Let’s go home.” He said, and Oikawa slowly slid from the cold metal to the familiar warmth, albeit under layers of clothing, of Iwaizumi’s back. Oikawa had his hands on Iwaizumi’s shoulders, gingerly holding on his jacket. He jumped slightly when he felt Iwaizumi’s hands on his head, sliding on the beanie he was wearing previously. “It’ll help keep you warm.” He heard Iwaizumi mumble as he fixed Oikawa’s arms to wrap around his neck, gently tugging on his fingers. “I can feel the cold from your hands through my gloves.” Iwaizumi berated Oikawa softly. Oikawa leaned on the back of Iwaizumi’s neck as he hummed in affirmation, too tired to say anything else.

“Dumbass.” Iwaizumi said as he took off his gloves to slide them on Oikawa’s hands. “You need them more than I do.” Iwaizumi said when Oikawa tried batting his hands away weakly. “Just relax, okay?” He said as he supported Oikawa from under his thighs. He could feel Oikawa’s every breath as he stood up and began walking. “Sorry… Iwa…” Oikawa breathed, watching the small mist appear in front of his face as he spoke. “It’s okay.” Iwaizumi said as he walked them both home. “I know you’d do the same for me.” He mumbled, hearing Oikawa hum sleepily. “And, even if you’d never have to… I don’t mind doing his for you.” He added, and he swore he felt Oikawa’s heart skip a beat under the layers of clothing between them.

_‘Just me?_ ’ Oikawa wanted to ask him, to press on Iwaizumi’s previous statement. But he didn’t. He didn’t want to break the peace between them, didn’t want to ruin their moment in their own world. He didn’t want to push the boundary, only to break the bond. He didn’t want to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to him. So he closed his eyes, murmured a small ‘Thank you’, and before he could even hear Iwaizumi’s reply, fell asleep.

Iwaizumi felt Oikawa slump against him right after he thanked Iwaizumi, and he knew Oikawa had fallen asleep. A soft, slightly exasperated smile appeared on Iwaizumi’s face. “You’re such a dumbass.” He mumbled, not in response to Oikawa’s gratitude. He didn’t mind the cold, anyway.

He was quiet as they neared the street where they lived. He looked back to check if Oikawa was still doing okay. Oikawa still seemed fine, and Iwaizumi hadn’t jostled him around the whole walk, so he turned his head back around and continued walking. He felt his back and arms ache a bit, since carrying a person for almost an hour wasn’t easy, even if the person carrying them were athletic. “This wasn’t really as easy as I first thought it would be.” Iwaizumi mumbled, mostly to himself. He felt Oikawa shift behind him, moving his arms to almost hug Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi released a soft sigh as he smiled again, lifting one of his hands to ruffle Oikawa’s hair gently.

“But… I’d do this a million other times if it meant you’d be safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this can totally just end off like this but y'all won't let that happen (not that i mind too much i actually like writing this)  
> also, just so you all know im posting this because im absent from school because a week of sleep deprivation is not fun


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which romance happens, but not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 19th <3

Hanamaki rested his head on Matsukawa’s lap as he typed out his uncle’s address while Matsukawa leaned his head back on the side of Hanamaki’s bed, playing Pokemon X on Hanamaki’s 3DS.

“Aren’t you the slightest bit worried about Oikawa?” Hanamaki said as he put down his phone and stretched out his arms.

“I guess I am, but not so much. After all, ‘Iwa-chan’ is already on the case, so there isn’t much to worry about.” Matsukawa replied coolly. Hanamaki snorted out a small laugh. “Those two.” He said as he reached out his arm to grab the remote for his TV, that rested somewhere on the bed, his fingers just falling shy of the hard plastic of the TV remote. He grunted and nudged Matsukawa’s stomach gently, wiggling his fingers near the remote. Matsukawa reached over and put the remote farther from Hanamaki’s grasp. Hanamaki glared at Matsukawa. “Oi.”

No response.

“Mattsun, gimme the TV remote.” Hanamaki said as he wriggled his fingers again, frowning up at Matsukawa.

Matsukawa just twiddled his thumb on the circle pad of the 3DS with a small evil smile on his face, otherwise not paying attention to Hanamaki, who rolled his eyes.

“You’re like. The worst not-boyfriend ever, Mattsun. And we aren’t even dating.” Hanamaki said, now scowling up at the lazy bum _not_ handing him the TV remote. “This is why we aren’t dating, Mattsun. Because you’re so lazy.” He added.

Matsukawa was quiet as he ran into another Pokémon Trainer. It felt like Hanamaki _knew_ about Matsukawa’s crush on him, and that he was blatantly stating the reason why he and Matsukawa weren’t dating. Matsukawa hummed, faking nonchalance. “Maybe I’m just not sure.”

Hanamaki snorted. “I think you should be.”

Matsukawa opened his mouth. Then closed it. On the 3DS, Hanamaki’s Aurorus jumped around, waiting for its orders. “Are we still talking about the remote?” He said slowly. Hanamaki shrugged, his eyes practically stabbing into Matsukawa’s core. “What do you think?” He asked, though it sounded too casual to be normal.

“I think…” Matsukawa paused.

“You think…?” Hanamaki prompted.

Matsukawa stopped for a bit, weighed his options. Then, he opened his mouth and said.

“Well, to be honest, I think I hardly ever think.”

And then he kissed Hanamaki on the cheek.

It really wasn’t as cute or romantic as Matsukawa thought it would be, since Hanamaki was on his lap and he had to crane his neck at a weird angle to even manage to get near Hanamaki’s face. He was also pretty sure that he was smothering Hanamaki, so he quickly sat back up.

“So, how was that for not thinking?” Matsukawa joked, cheeks slowly turning pink. Hanamaki sat up quickly, one arm propped up on Matsukawa’s lap, and Matsukawa’s smile fell.

“You really weren’t thinking.” Hanamaki muttered. Matsukawa’s heart sped up. Did he mess up somewhere? Was he _not_ supposed to kiss Hanamaki? “You missed the target.” He added, before cupping one of Matsukawa’s cheeks and kissing him squarely on the mouth.

Hanamaki’s 3DS slipped from Matsukawa’s hands.

Hanamaki popped off in surprise when the 3DS bounced against his arm. “Mattsun! Don’t just drop my baby!” He cried out, catching the 3DS before it could fall anywhere else. Matsukawa’s cheeks reddened further. “W- Well, don’t just kiss me out of the blue!” Hanamaki scoffed, cheeks taking on a cute shade of pink. “I think the lips of my boyfriend are less fragile than the life of my precious baby.” Matsukawa snatched the 3DS out of Hanamaki’s hands. “Well, I think my boyfriend should value his boyfriend more than a console.” Matsukawa stuck his tongue out.

Hanamaki returned the gesture. “I’ve had that baby for two years. I’ve had you as a boyfriend for like, two seconds. I think I have my priorities straight.” Hanamaki said, faking disdain.

Matsukawa was about to come up with a retort, but then Hanamaki’s mother called them from outside the room.

“Boys!” She called out. “Time for dinner!”

Matsukawa and Hanamaki glanced at each other for half a second before getting up to eat dinner, the both of them grabbing their phones and exiting the door as Hanamaki’s mother’s footsteps echoed down the hallway.

After dinner, the boys went back up to Hanamaki’s room. Matsukawa still couldn’t believe it, it just felt so _surreal_. He half wanted to text Iwaizumi about it, but he was probably off still looking for Oikawa.

“Hey, so, are we really dating now?” Matsukawa asked Hanamaki, who had once again settled in his lap. “Uh, duh?” Hanamaki replied, watching the TV. Matsukawa’s cheeks turned a light pink. “Oh. That’s great, then.” Matsukawa mumbled, playing on Hanamaki’s 3DS again.

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Hanamaki and Matsukawa both jumped and looked to their respective phones.

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

“That’s probably Iwaizumi.” Matsukawa said, the blush from a while ago disappearing.

Iwaizumi: _[Oikawa’s finally home.]_

Hanamaki: _[hey, nice]_

Hanamaki: _[what happened anyway?]_

Iwaizumi: _[Apparently he got mugged.]_

Matsukawa: _[holy shit what???]_

Iwaizumi: _[I know, I’m mad too.]_

Hanamaki: _[r we gonna fight sumone???]_

Iwaizumi: _[No, he said he didn’t see their faces.]_

Matsukawa: _[well, at least hes home]_

Iwaizumi: _[Yeah.]_

Iwaizumi: _[We were all pretty worried about him.]_

Matsukawa: _[Especially you]_

Iwaizumi: _[Yeah.]_

Hanamaki shot Matsukawa A Look. The two were about to press Iwaizumi for more, to elaborate on the almost-too casual ‘Yeah’ he replied with, but Iwaizumi was faster.

Iwaizumi: _[Anyway, I’m tired as hell, so I’m going to sleep.]_

Two exasperated sighs were heard from behind Hanamaki’s bedroom door.

Hanamaki: _[good nite]_

Matsukawa: _[sleep tight]_

Hanamaki: _[don’t let the frost bite]_

Iwaizumi: _[No.]_

_Iwaizumi Hajime has gone offline._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ajhkbsdkfjsag it's a filler chapter i know  
> but at least i updated  
> it's because we've been practicing for our completion ceremony, and my whole class has been bombarded with so much work and wow. life. it's actually a thing i have to do. shocking.  
> also, if the ending seems too abrupt, i know. but its really the best i can manage at this point, and i really will try my best to update with a non-filler chapter soon. maybe next month. (that's not soon)
> 
> Please, tell me what you thought of the chapter! I wrote this in a really small space of time, so I'm very nervous about posting it..


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things might have happened to result in other things, but then oops-- oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is special! Aside from being the longest chapter than the other 3 chapters (partially an apology for the 3rd chapter being so short), it's also dedicated to two special people! The first one goes to my dear ace, my inspiration (always); the second one goes to my writing senpai because she's wanted them to kiss ever since she found out about this story
> 
> happy 19th! <3

When Iwaizumi had finally returned Oikawa home, his mother almost cried. His father carried Oikawa off his back and into his bed while Oikawa’s mother gave him a bowl of hot soup and called his mother.

His mother and father arrived with clothes for Iwaizumi. _(They knew Iwaizumi better than he knew himself.)_

Oikawa’s father set out the futon while Oikawa’s mother tended to their son, and Iwaizumi was taken care of by his parents, showering him in soft words of praise and gently spoken reprimands. Most of what they said slipped Iwaizumi’s tired mind.

He was tucked into the futon by his mom and she left with his father, but Iwaizumi was only pretending to be asleep.

When he heard the click from the outside of Oikawa’s room that signalled Oikawa’s parents turning off the lights, he quietly threw off the blanket and sat up. Iwaizumi crawled over to Oikawa’s bed, gently wrapping his hand around Oikawa’s hand resting on top of the thick blanket. He placed his head on the bed, just beside Oikawa’s arm.

Nothing else had scared him this much, not since Oikawa got his knee injury and collapsed during practice.

Under the moonlight, Oikawa looked both ethereal and fragile. Iwaizumi peered up at him, silently hoping Oikawa would wake up in the middle of the night. Hoping that, if he did, he would wake Iwaizumi up. With his whining, annoying, endearing voice, he’d rouse Iwaizumi from his slumber.

If he did, Iwaizumi wouldn’t yell. He wouldn’t even be mad.

He knelt by the side of the bed, hopefully _(fearfully)_ holding onto his best friend’s hand as his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

In the pitch black of the night, only the moon and the stars saw as his best friend weakly squeezed Iwaizumi’s hand, still asleep.

Sometime after midnight, Oikawa’s mother found them just like that: the two boys, holding onto each other’s hands as if their lives depended on it.

_(With how close the two were, she would’ve been more surprised if the darker haired of the two hadn’t moved closer to his injured friend.)_

She left the room after placing a blanket across Iwaizumi’s shoulders.

In the morning, Iwaizumi woke up and found his hand tightly held by Oikawa’s. He couldn’t pull his hand away. He didn’t want to, anyway.

Oikawa’s mother entered the room a few minutes after Iwaizumi woke up, the door closing with a soft _click_.

Iwaizumi looked up blearily as she placed her hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him, her normal, warm, motherly smile, though there was a hidden tiredness and fear in it. The same tiredness and fear that Iwaizumi felt inside of him.

“Hajime-kun,” she said softly. “Eat some breakfast.”

Still tired, most of the morning was a blur to Iwaizumi.

He only remembered being so, so tired, and the devastating feeling of fear, the crippling helplessness that ripped through him every time he looked at Oikawa’s slumbering form on the bed.

For once, he was the one that refused to leave his best friend’s side.

It was in the afternoon, when Iwaizumi was resting his head by Oikawa’s shoulder again, he glanced up and saw brown. Deep, chocolate brown eyes staring down at him. And a smile, so small, but so, so bright.

“Hey, Iwa-chan.” A raspy, but somehow still happy voice tore through Iwaizumi’s exhausted self. “Do you think my fans will be able to survive a day without me?” Iwaizumi, tired as he was, let out a short chuckle. He had been waiting to hear Oikawa’s voice for so long, it seemed only right to indulge in his childish words. “Probably.”

_‘If I managed last night and all of this morning without hearing your voice or seeing your smile, they’ll manage a day.’_

When Iwaizumi returned to school without Oikawa clinging to him as he walked through the gate, his fans surrounded Iwaizumi with questions. _“Iwaizumi-san, where’s Oikawa-san?”_ , _“Did you two have a fight or something?”_ , _“Is Oikawa-san alright?”_

Which, basically lasted for the whole day. Morning, break times, lunch time, before volleyball practice, _after volleyball practice_. It annoyed Iwaizumi, just a bit.

“Even when he _isn’t_ here, I’m still constantly reminded of him.” Iwaizumi grumbled as he pulled on his jacket.

“Maybe it’s a sign from the world telling you that you _can’t_ forget Oikawa.” Matsukawa said, hands in his pockets as he stood a few paces ahead of Iwaizumi.

Hanamaki hummed out his agreement as he appeared from behind Iwaizumi to stand next to Matsukawa. “Maybe you two were just meant for each other like that.” He shrugged casually. “Anyway, wanna come with us? Mattsun’s treating me to a box of profiteroles.” At this, Matsukawa sputtered. “What?”

Hanamaki draped his arm across Matsukawa’s shoulders. “Yeah, right? You said you’d treat me if I give you a kiss~” He said, puckering his lips exaggeratedly.

Matsukawa stuck out his tongue. “I said no such thing! You’re abusing my poor wallet and affections for you.” He said dramatically, throwing a hand to his chest.

Hanamaki snickered, and Iwaizumi chuckled for a short moment. “Thanks, but, no thanks. I’ve still got to give Oikawa his homework. It wouldn’t be the same without him, anyway” Hanamaki nodded, still leaning on Matsukawa. “Yeah, okay.” Matsukawa lifted a hand and waved. “See you, Iwaizumi.” Iwaizumi nodded. “See you guys.” He watched the two of them walk in the direction of the pastry shop, Hanamaki pulling away from leaning on Matsukawa to interlock his pinky with the raven haired teen.

Iwaizumi walked to Oikawa’s house. He walked right in, greeted Oikawa’s mother, who took a day off to take care of her son, and went up to place Oikawa’s homework and notes (that his classmates and fans gave him) on his table, and sat down in a chair near Oikawa’s bed, half-keeping an eye on Oikawa, half-bored out of his mind.

Oikawa opened his eyes, and immediately regretted it. The light was way too bright. He shut his eyes again and a click reached his ears.

“Oi, Shittykawa.” He heard a voice from above. The voice of an angel.

“I know you’re awake, so open your eyes or I’ll open them for you. I already turned off the lights.”

_‘Okay, maybe not so much of an angel.’_ Oikawa thought. _‘But my hero nonetheless.’_

Iwaizumi had been sitting beside Oikawa in the now-darkened room, waiting for him to open his eyes.

He already knew Oikawa was awake from the second his breathing shifted from slow and even to a slightly quicker pace. He, honestly, was terrified for his best friend. He couldn’t fathom a life without him. Without the constant presence of his home away from home, no matter how annoying.

He figured out a few months back that it was Oikawa’s way of showing affection, anyway.

It was during their first year of high school. One of their teachers decided it was fun to give an assignment to Iwaizumi’s class, on a nice day right before winter break.

_“Alright class, settle down. For this whole break you’ll be writing a literary piece. It can be anything you want, a poem, essay, short story, anything. Just at least try to get the word count over 500 words. The topic is love, and I expect that you all pass this assignment on our first meeting after break.”_

Iwaizumi had devoted every single moment he had into writing his piece.

Basically, every moment he was away from Oikawa.

He had wracked his head so he could write his take on love.

In the end, he got a nice score, a 97.

Oikawa, who got a 96, asked to see his piece. First-year Iwaizumi only scrunched up his nose and declined, even after multiple bribes from Oikawa about agedashi tofu, his favourite food. He got tired soon enough and dropped the subject anyway.

When Oikawa finally opened his eyes, Iwaizumi’s heart skipped a beat. ‘ _But that’s normal, right?’_ Iwaizumi entertained the fleeting thought for a bit before Oikawa spoke.

“Hi, Iwa-chan. Did my fans bring anything for me?” Oikawa said in a hoarse, playful tone.

“What fans.” Iwaizumi said in a flat voice, and Oikawa pouted. “Iwa-chan, you shouldn’t bully an injured person!” Iwaizumi crossed his arms over his chest. “If you can whine like that, then you’re fine enough to come to school tomorrow.”

Oikawa moved to sit up, and Iwaizumi was quick to place a pillow behind his back to help support him. “Anyway, Iwa-chan,” He reached out both of his arms. “Homework?” He said, wiggling his fingers toward the small bunch of papers on his desk, which Iwaizumi handed to him before slouching over Oikawa’s bed, resting his head by Oikawa’s legs.

Partway through answering, Oikawa lifted his head from the papers. “Hey, hey, what about Iwa-chan? Doesn’t he have homework?” He asked. Iwaizumi, who was resting his head on folded arms as he slouched over the bed, still sitting in the chair he had been sitting in for the past twenty minutes. “Already finished. It’s wasn’t a lot.” He said, muffled by the fabric on his arms.

Half a heartbeat passed before Oikawa spoke up again. “Is Iwa-chan tired?” He asked, softer this time. “… Yeah.” Iwaizumi said. As dependent Oikawa seemed to be around him, counting him as his pillar, his foundation, Iwaizumi depended on him too. Oikawa, boundless amounts of popularity, irritability, and confidence (fake or not), gave Iwaizumi the extra _oomph_ he needed to last through the day without ending up being bored out of his mind or tired like he just hung upside down for three hours. Their relationship was co-dependent: Oikawa needed him to stay grounded, to not get carried away with his ambitions, and Iwaizumi needed Oikawa to reach for the stars, to push his own limit. Together, they supported each other, protected each other.

Oikawa patted Iwaizumi on the back of his neck softly. “Iwa-chan should take a nap.” He said, before returning to his homework. Iwaizumi closed his eyes slowly, agreeing silently. He fell asleep in a few seconds.

Oikawa answered his homework fairly quickly. He was (basically) all better now, so he would go to school tomorrow. He couldn’t miss practice, after all. _‘Though Iwa-chan might just make me sit on the bench for the whole practice…’_ He thought as he set aside the homework he just finished. His eyes flittered about the room before settling on Iwaizumi’s sleeping form. _‘Tired’._ Oikawa thought, hand moving to ruffle Iwaizumi’s spiky hair. _‘He’s so tired. He’s not usually this tired.’_

He began absentmindedly running his fingers through Iwaizumi’s hair gently. Oikawa leaned forward and propped up his elbow on a mini-table on his lap, which he got so he had a flat surface to answer his homework on. He rested his chin in his hand as he ran his fingers through Iwaizumi’s raven hair. “You work so hard, Hajime.” Oikawa said fondly, a small smile on his face as Iwaizumi slept silently. Red bloomed across Oikawa’s cheeks when one of Iwaizumi’s hands reached up above his head to grab onto Oikawa’s hand, holding it loosely. 

Iwaizumi woke up some time later, and he tried to scratch a spot on his cheek but found his hand caught in something. He straightened his back, he _really_ shouldn’t have slept like that his back was _killing_ him now. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he saw his hand holding Oikawa’s. He looked up, and found Oikawa still leaning back against the pillow. He had his eyes closed but he was definitely awake, and when Iwaizumi tried to pull his hand away, Oikawa’s eyes fluttered open. His eyes were glassy, almost unfocused, and they seemed a bit… sad.

“Hey, you okay?” Iwaizumi said, squeezing Oikawa’s hand gently.

“Iwa-chan, what if it’s serious this time?” Oikawa said softly. “What if I collapse in the middle of a serve and I can’t play volleyball ever again because of this?” His voice was shaky. Iwaizumi felt as if someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart. He knew Oikawa hated having to sit out during matches, even hated sitting it out during practices, and if he had to quit volleyball forever… that would wreck his whole being.

Iwaizumi didn’t waste a single moment before letting go of Oikawa’s hand to envelop him in a tight, squeezing hug. “I’d stop too.” He muttered lowly. “If that happened, if you couldn’t play anymore… I’d stop too. I can’t ever see myself standing on a volleyball court without you right there with me and our team."

He heard a small sniffle from Oikawa before his shaky hands moved up to hug Iwaizumi back. “Iwa-chan,” He said as tears streamed down from his face. “I don’t want to stand on a volleyball court without you, too.” He sobbed into Iwaizumi’s shoulder. Iwaizumi rubbed Oikawa’s back comfortingly. “I’ll never stand on a court without you, so you can’t stop playing. I won’t let you. I’m… I’ll make you get better, no matter what it takes.” He murmured into Oikawa’s hair. “E… Even if you have to stop playing volleyball?” Oikawa said weakly. Iwaizumi only hugged Oikawa tighter. “… Yeah. Even if I have to stop playing. As long as you’re okay.” He felt Oikawa tighten his grip on Iwaizumi’s shirt. “But you won’t stop playing, right?” Iwaizumi chuckled lowly. “Yeah. Not while you’re still standing.” Iwaizumi turned his head to bury his face in Oikawa’s hair. The pair stayed like that for a few seconds before Oikawa pulled away, sniffling. “I ruined your shirt.” He giggled, and Iwaizumi let out a fond huff. “You ruined your face.” He said softly, referring to Oikawa’s snotty, teary face. “Mean.” Oikawa mumbled as he grabbed some tissues to clean his face.

A few minutes and the two were back to their usual selves, throwing around jokes and talking like they always did.

Soon enough, Iwaizumi had to go home.

“See you tomorrow, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa smiled brightly, a sharp contrast to the crying mess he was earlier that evening. Iwaizumi smiled back, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t overwork yourself, okay?” He said, Oikawa rolling his eyes good-naturedly before waving goodbye to Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi walked to his own house quickly, being neighbors with Oikawa, it didn’t take too long.

“I’m home!” Iwaizumi called out. His mother was sitting on a chair in their dining room, still dressed for her job. “Hajime, Oikawa’s mother stopped by while you were at their house. Apparently Tooru had something to give to you. I’ve gone and put it up in your room, it’ still wrapped.” She smiled tiredly, and Iwaizumi moved to press a kiss to her forehead. “Thanks mom. I’ll check it out.” Iwaizumi said, before she nodded and went back to texting her co-workers.

Iwaizumi tried not to race up the stairs to his room, but he knew he was walking faster, his heart pounding out of his chest, even though he knew it was probably just another printed selfie Iwaizumi would add to his collection. (And it wasn’t because he _wanted_ to, Oikawa just sent those to him to annoy him. He’d give it back in the morning, like he always did.)

He opened the door to his room, honestly half-expecting a framed selfie of Oikawa.

A small, small box was sitting on top of his bed, with a folded up piece of paper right on top of it. Iwaizumi took no time in closing the door behind him, putting down his schoolbag and opening the note.

_‘Iwa-chan!_

_Okay, I know I should technically be paying attention to my date, and I am! She’s in the comfort room right now, so I have some time to write this to you! I saw this in a stall we were looking through, and I immediately thought: ‘Hey, Iwa-chan might like this!’ So of course I bought it for you! I hope you like it~_ _♥ ♥ ♥_

_XOXO,  
__Tooru-chan~_ ♥ _’_

Iwaizumi couldn’t _really_ understand why his heart was beating fast in his chest or why his cheeks were growing warmer, but he smiled down at the little note. He placed it inside his desk drawer, along with multiple other notes, crumpled, folded, and otherwise. He walked back to his bed (not a very long walk, really,) and picked up the small box, sitting on his bed.

It was a small, square box, about three inches wide and about an inch tall. It was entirely black, save for a white ribbon that wrapped around the box. Iwaizumi tugged off the ribbon slowly and let it unravel in his hands. He took off the top of the box and rested it beside him. His eyes widened.

Sitting inside the box, was a thick nylon bracelet, which, for being nylon was great enough (as nylon had quite a list of uses that included rope, which is plenty useful), but aside from that, the bracelet was absolutely _beautiful_. It was white, contrasting against the black lining inside the box, but aside from that, there were shades of light blue and teal running with the white, different dashes and stripes, with gold-coloured tips.

Iwaizumi was a man of function. He would choose function over fashion any day. He doesn't care much for fashion, because aside from being able to pull off everything (even though he doesn't know it), he has no sense of fashion aside from: don't wear black when it’s hot out. Which means he wouldn't wear something if it was uncomfortable and/or useless, aside from making him look good.

Oikawa’s gift was both function _and_ fashion. He always knew what Iwaizumi liked. Iwaizumi felt his cheeks grow even warmer. He put on the bracelet before changing his clothes and going down the stairs to eat dinner with his mom (his dad was working late again).

“That’s a nice bracelet, Hajime. Is that what Tooru gave you?” His mother had asked him while the two of them were washing the dishes.  
  
“Yeah. It’s made of nylon.” Iwaizumi said, and he saw his mother smile, her eyes sparkling. “Tooru knows you so well. He probably knew you wouldn’t wear something you couldn’t use other than as an accessory.” She let out a small laugh as Iwaizumi’s cheeked turned pink.

“It’s still a school night, and it’s getting late. Go on upstairs and get to bed, Hajime.” She patted Iwaizumi on the arm when the two of them finished the dishes. “Okay. Good night, mom.” Iwaizumi said, receiving a kiss on the cheek from his mother before he went upstairs and flopped on his bed, falling asleep within minutes.

The sun rose, and with it, the Oikawa household. Oikawa woke up early to take a bath and fix himself, already wearing his knee supporter underneath his school uniform.

Oikawa stood just outside his front gate when Iwaizumi exited his house. “Iwa-chan!” He greeted cheerfully. Iwaizumi looked up from the front door and nodded. “Shittykawa.” He said back, walking out of his house’s front gate quickly. “Meanie! I’m all better and you’re already mean to me!” Oikawa made a face at his best friend, who promptly flicked him in the forehead. Oikawa yelped and swatted at Iwaizumi while the two of them walked to their school, shoulders lightly brushing as they walked.

During morning practice, Irihata-sensei, Mizoguchi-sensei, _and_ Iwaizumi didn’t let Oikawa leave the bench. Only Kindaichi was nice enough to let Oikawa do his own thing, while Kunimi probably couldn’t care less, so didn’t say anything. The second years, Yahaba and Watari, went to Iwaizumi every time Oikawa tried anything, while the third years either didn’t leave Oikawa’s side, or didn’t leave Iwaizumi’s side. Oikawa just rolled his eyes and took notes on how they were playing, providing helpful commentary on what his teammates could work on.

Then, most of the day was devoted to accepting gifts from his fans, and thanking them, of course. Oikawa was pulled away from his lunch so many times that Iwaizumi had to step in and tell his fans to just leave it at Oikawa’s desk, and he would thank them when he was feeling better. _(Oikawa’s never been more thankful to have Iwaizumi as his best friend. Well, actually, he has. All the time.)_

The day passed around the same way as every other day, minus Oikawa moving around too much under his friends’ watchful eyes.

Oikawa’s eye twitched when he was told to sit out afternoon practice as well, but he did so anyway. The whole reason _why_ he went to school, why he _wanted_ to go to school, was to practice volleyball, but _no_ , apparently he couldn’t practice for the _whole_ day. He was doing fine, his knee hadn’t acted up for the whole day, but no, he could join practice the next day. Or any other day that wasn’t the one ongoing in his life. Oikawa pouted, but continued to provide the commentary he was giving since morning practice.

Oikawa caught Iwaizumi’s eyes when he started tapping his fingers on the bench he was sitting on. He was getting antsy, wanting to at least do _one_ serve, _one_  toss, _anything_. Iwaizumi pursed his lips, getting a bit antsy himself. As an ace, his job was to hit any toss sent his way, and while Yahaba was a good setter, the tosses sent Iwaizumi’s way weren’t _exactly_ fit for him. Not that he minded, and not that he was complaining, but Oikawa sent those certain kinds of tosses that felt like a custom-made shirt; special for every individual, specifically designed and trained to be hit by Iwaizumi and _only_ Iwaizumi. _(And any other spiker in the team had a toss by Oikawa for them as well.)_ He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking of what he could do.

Iwaizumi approached Irihata-sensei and murmured something in his ear, making the Head Coach laugh and nod.

The team was cleaning up when Iwaizumi approached Irihata-sensei again, taking the keys to the gym from him.

“Iwa-chan, everyone’s already at the club room, what’s taking you so long?” Oikawa called out to Iwaizumi, who was in the gym’s supply closet. He could’ve already went to the club room, but… Well.

“Yeah, yeah.” Iwaizumi said from the supply closet before walking out with a volleyball and a plastic bottle.

“What are you _doing_ , Iwa-chan?” Oikawa drummed his fingers on the bench. He was impatient, having sat on the sidelines while watching his team play volleyball.

Iwaizumi set down the plastic bottle inside the left half of the court and walked to the other side. “Get your ass over here. You’re doing _one_ serve. Just one, so don’t fuck it up.”

Oikawa perked up almost immediately. “Really?” He said brightly, standing up and jogging over to Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and gently threw the ball to Oikawa so he wouldn’t see the light pink dusting his cheeks. His best friend was unfairly, annoyingly cute, and Iwaizumi was weak to it, not that he’d show it, ever. “Yeah. Your knee didn’t act up at all today, so…” He trailed off. “Try hitting that bottle on the other side.” Oikawa nodded and faced the other side of the court. Taking in a deep breath, Oikawa took a few steps back to try and perform a jump serve. Iwaizumi steeled his nerves and prepared himself, in case Oikawa fell, and in case he didn't.

As if he had been practicing the whole day, Oikawa threw up the ball in a perfect arc. His knees bent as he ran, gathering momentum, then jumped up, drawing his hand back gracefully. The resounding smack of his hand against the ball settled Oikawa's impatience and his nerves.

The ball soared in the air, in a perfectly trained arc, before hitting the bottle on the other side of the court with a loud bam.

Iwaizumi watched as Oikawa landed safely on his feet, knees slightly bent. Oikawa's head turned to face Iwaizumi quickly. "Iwa-chan, did you see that?" He said happily, beaming. Iwaizumi nodded. "Yeah. It was a really good serve, To- Trashykawa." Iwaizumi coughed to cover up his mistake of almost calling Oikawa by his first name. Regardless if Oikawa heard or not, he rushed to jump happily at Iwaizumi, hugging him tightly as the two of them toppled down to the gym’s hardwood floor. "Iwa-chan! I can still play!" Oikawa cheered happily as Iwaizumi gently wrapped his arms around Oikawa's waist. Iwaizumi smiled fondly up at his best friend. Oikawa’s face was practically glowing with joy, his eyes dancing happily between dark chocolate and cinnamon; cheeks flushed an almost embarrassingly happy pink; lips curled into that beautifully genuine smile Iwaizumi loved seeing on Oikawa’s face.

Iwaizumi didn’t notice Oikawa’s face moving closer to his _(or was it the other way around?)_ until it was too late.

Iwaizumi’s lips were pressing against Oikawa’s unsurprisingly soft ones. His lips tasted like chocolate, and it was probably because of his fans’ gifts, or maybe it was his flavoured lip balm. Oikawa’s previously wide and bright brown eyes were covered by his eyelids, his long lashes brushing on his cheeks like a rose petal on water. Iwaizumi let his eyes wander along Oikawa’s almost ethereal face before closing his eyes, letting himself kiss the boy he loved.

Iwaizumi’s heart stuttered when he realized it. He loved Oikawa. Somehow, Oikawa’s usual annoying antics, coupled with his moments of genuine emotion, had made Iwaizumi’s heart open up and take him in.

Somehow, the thought of him loving Oikawa didn’t seem so bad. _(Not at all, actually)_ It almost felt familiar, as if he always loved Oikawa.

Maybe he did, and he was just too naïve to know.

The two of them pulled away from each other at the same time, almost as if they were synchronized. Iwaizumi stared up as Oikawa’s eyes fluttered open, staring down at Iwaizumi before his eyes shifted to the side. “Uh, sorry.” Iwaizumi said, cheeks reddening. Oikawa glanced at Iwaizumi for a second. “It’s-- It’s fine.” Oikawa mumbled embarrassedly. His eyes darted from the wall to the floor as he scrambled to get off of Iwaizumi, cheeks red. Iwaizumi sat up, mind working a million miles an hour, cycling through dozens of _what do I do_ ’s and _what do I say_ ’s.

Oikawa coughed before standing. “Uh. We… We should… Uhm.” He stuttered, and Iwaizumi’s cheeks grew warmer at the thought that Oikawa was nervous because the two of them kissed. It brought a pleased, fluttering feeling in Iwaizumi’s chest, though his mind was still reeling from the kiss. “Yeah, we should… We should go home.” Iwaizumi said, getting up slowly.

Oikawa moved to the door, ready to just start running to grab his stuff and go home and cry himself to sleep, because _Iwaizumi hated him_. He knew he did, otherwise the kiss would’ve been followed by another one, and another, just like in the romantic movies Oikawa’s dates usually wanted to watch. “Hey.” Iwaizumi said before Oikawa could walk out the gym door. “… We still have to lock up the gym.” Oikawa stopped in his tracks. “Oh. Right.” Oikawa said distractedly before going to the other side of the court to grab the volleyball and the plastic bottle. Iwaizumi waited by the gym’s door for Oikawa to exit before closing the door and locking it.

The two of them kept a distance between each other as they walked to the club room.

Oikawa sat and stared down at the floor as Iwaizumi changed. The silence was deafening, he hated not talking to Iwaizumi, but… He didn’t know what to say. Iwaizumi had that effect on him, most of the time.

Bags slung over their shoulders, the two teens left the school. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! All mistakes are mine and feel free to point out any that I might have missed. Comments are always appreciated! ^-^


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get okay... ish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really didn't expect this to go so well?  
> like, thank you guys.  
> story is still totally dedicated to my ace, btw

Without so much as a single word exchanged between the two teens, they went back to their respective houses, did their homework, ate dinner, and slept, acting like nothing was wrong when _clearly_ something was. Their parents tried to talk to them about it, the tension hanging in the air, but the two teens only mumbled vague, incoherent answers before leading the conversation away from the topic at hand.

The next morning was the same, and Oikawa found himself staring at Iwaizumi’s steely gaze as they stared each other down. “Morning, Iwaizumi.” Oikawa muttered before turning around, facing the direction they walked to their school. “Morning.” Iwaizumi said back before falling into step with Oikawa, the two boys still somehow in sync while not talking to each other.

During morning practice, the whole team felt the tension between the two, and even the coaches sent them both weird looks. Yahaba actually almost asked Oikawa if everything was alright, but with a few well-placed warning gestures from Hanamaki and Matsukawa, he didn’t. Oikawa was probably a ticking time bomb at this point, filled up with emotional turmoil that could bubble over the edge and cause him to explode.

During lunch the four sat at the roof of the school, eating in a group silently. Oikawa and Iwaizumi sat facing slightly away from each other. The tension hanging in the air was choking Matsukawa and Hanamaki, who communicated to each other quietly with head jerks, small hand gestures, and oftentimes one would mouth some words to the other.

Their conversation went something like this:

Matsukawa: _“This is suffocating.”_

Hanamaki: _“I know.”_

Matsukawa: _“How long do you think it’ll last?”_

Hanamaki: _“I have no idea. We should do something.”_

Matsukawa: _“What do we do?”_

Hanamaki: _“Anything.”_  

Matsukawa, the bolder of the two, spoke up suddenly. “So Makki and I are dating.” He blurted out before Hanamaki shot him a surprised look. He shrugged slightly, silently saying: _‘You said “Anything”.’_ Most of the tension dissipated as the other two teens looked up in shock. “Seriously?” Iwaizumi said, eyebrows shooting up. Oikawa just looked shocked, and slightly scandalized. “Yeah. We got together like, last Saturday.” Matsukawa continued. Oikawa seemed to get over his initial shock. “So while I was missing, you guys were just getting it on?” He raised an eyebrow. Matsukawa nodded. Hanamaki decided it was time to speak up. “If you want details, my head was in Mattsun’s lap, and, well…” Hanamaki waggled his eyebrows and trailed off suggestively. “Ew! Makki, no!” Oikawa said, closing his eyes and sticking out his tongue in mock-disgust. Iwaizumi just shook his head. “Don’t even start.” He said. Hanamaki shot Matsukawa a semi-relieved look. The tension hanging over the group dissipated.

For now, anyway.

After class, the entire boys volleyball team, minus Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Watari, had a small secret meeting.

“Okay, you all know why we’re here.” Matsukawa started.

“Not really.” Kyoutani, one of the second years, spoke up in a bored tone. He hadn’t attended morning practice, still adjusting to returning to the team after doing self-practices for so long.

“Kyoutani, just shut up for a bit. I’ll explain later.” Yahaba said, elbowing Kyoutani in the side. Kyoutani, grumbling silently, motioned for Matsukawa to go on.

“… Anyway.” Matsukawa continued, “We need a plan to get those two back to normal. Or to something _better_ than normal. Whichever.” He rubbed his hands together. “So, any suggestions?”

“Maybe we could just… Let them talk it out?” Kindaichi said, sounding slightly unsure of himself.

“Well, that’s definitely not a _bad_ idea.” Hanamaki commented. “But we probably need a _little_ something more.”

The whole team (minus Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Watari, who was distracting the two in some way) was quiet for a minute before Kunimi spoke up.

“I heard this from someone from Nekoma. Apparently Karasuno locked their captain and vice captain in their club’s supply closet.” Kunimi shrugged. “Maybe we could do the same."

A quiet pause before Matsukawa grabbed Kunimi and lifted him up. “Kunimi that’s genius, absolutely _genius_.” Hanamaki applauded. “I just got it from someone in an online multiplayer game.” Kunimi said lazily as he was dangling in Matsukawa’s hands in the air. Matsukawa put him down and patted him on the head, ruffling his hair slightly.

“Well, how do we get them both into the supply closet? We might be able to catch them both by surprise and push them both in, or we could get Iwaizumi-san into the supply closet and push Oikawa-san in, or the other way around.” Yahaba said, leaning on Kyoutani slightly. Matsukawa pointed at Yahaba and nodded. “Yes! That’s it.” He clapped his hands together. “We have our Master Plan.”

Yahaba spoke up again. “Not really. We still have to plan out how exactly we’re going to get Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san into the supply closet.” Hanamaki slapped a hand on Yahaba’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mattsun and I got this. All you have to do is walk up to Oikawa and say…” He whispered into Yahaba’s ear, snickering when Yahaba’s eyes widened and he sent a disturbed look to Hanamaki. “Hanamaki-san, I respect you as a third year, but why did you feel the need to tell me that all in great detail.” Yahaba said flatly. Hanamaki just laughed before Watari stepped into the gym, Oikawa and Iwaizumi right behind him. The team quickly went off, all of them acting like they normally did, save for Hanamaki, who quickly grabbed Kindaichi’s wrist  and Matsukawa’s arm and dragged them by the gym’s supply closet.

Iwaizumi spoke up from the door. “What have you guys been doing? Have you guys even warmed up at all? The gym isn’t even set up.” Yahaba, who had been practicing his line in his head, turned to Iwaizumi and beckoned him closer. “Er, Iwaizumi-san.” He muttered, and Iwaizumi walked over. Oikawa blinked in the direction of Iwaizumi and Yahaba before letting out a small pouty _‘hmph’_ before walking over to help out Kindaichi, who was sitting somewhere near the supply closet, tying the volleyball net to the pole.

“Well, we haven’t really started because… Well… See for yourself, I guess.” Yahaba crossed his arms and motioned to the supply closet. Iwaizumi’s eyebrows furrowed. “What the hell is going on, and where are Makki and Mattsun?” He said. “Yeah. That’s the thing. They’re… Uh. In there.” Yahaba pursed his lips tightly. Iwaizumi turned to the supply closet and began walking over. “Seriously…” He muttered under his breath as he passed Oikawa and Kindaichi to the door of the supply closet.

He threw open the door to the supply closet and found Hanamaki, legs wrapped around Matsukawa’s waist, arms around his neck. “Do you mind?” Hanamaki said as Matsukawa’s face was buried in his neck. Iwaizumi stood in front of the door in shock. “Of course I mind! We have a practice to attend to!“ He stormed inside of the large supply closet and pried Matsukawa away from Hanamaki. The team, including Oikawa, had gathered at the door of the supply closet. Iwaizumi pushed them both toward the door, arms crossed as he stood behind them.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki glanced back at Iwaizumi before looking out at the team. “ _Now!_ ” Matsukawa yelled as he and Hanamaki ran out, and Oikawa was pushed in. Luckily, Oikawa caught himself before he faceplanted into the floor.

The entirety of the club slammed the door closed behind him, placing down all of their strength to keep the door closed. “Sorry, guys, but you need to solve whatever’s going on between you two!” Matsukawa yelled from outside the supply closet.

Iwaizumi slammed his fist on the door. “Damnit, guys! There’s no problem, we have to start practice!” He yelled out. “Sorry, Iwaizumi-san! Even the coaches admitted that you guys have a problem!” Kindaichi yelled in reply. Iwaizumi slammed his fist against the door again. “And _you’re_ not doing anything to get out?” He said to Oikawa, who was standing behind Iwaizumi, arms crossed, head ducked. He tilted his head before sitting down on the floor. “Iwaizumi.” Oikawa said softly, and Iwaizumi flinched a bit before turning around completely. “What?” He asked gently, a vast contrast to his yells just a few seconds ago. “Obviously they won’t let us out.” Oikawa continued, head still facing the ground as he patted the floor beside him. “So don’t bother wasting your energy.” He muttered, pulling up his knees to his chest and hugging them loosely, a position Iwaizumi had seen him in before, in a situation he wouldn’t want to remember.

Iwaizumi sat down beside Oikawa, leaving at least three inches between them. "So… What now?" He asked tentatively, anger leaving him almost immediately after he gingerly sat beside Oikawa, who lifted his shoulders, slowly shrugging. “I don’t know. You tell me.” He said, voice distant.

Iwaizumi shut his mouth and faced away from Oikawa. Now he _really_ didn’t know what to do. At this moment, Oikawa could either explode into anger, or into tears, or… Anything. Iwaizumi sat beside Oikawa quietly, breathing slowly and evenly. He almost thought Oikawa had fallen asleep until he spotted Oikawa’s shoulders shaking. “H… Hey, don’t tell me you’re crying…” Iwaizumi said, one hand reaching out to Oikawa before hesitating. “So what if I am?” Oikawa sniffled, muffled as he buried his face in his arms. Iwaizumi stiffened.

_Shit._

Iwaizumi scrambled to kneel beside Oikawa. “Oikawa…”

_He didn’t know what to do._

This wasn’t one of their usual spats, where Iwaizumi hit Oikawa too hard, nor was it anything related to volleyball, where Iwaizumi and Oikawa could both cry it out. This was emotions, this was Oikawa crying about something _Iwaizumi_ did, and Iwaizumi couldn’t fix with a hug and a trip to the local diner for ramen.

Oikawa stayed there, crying. At least he wasn’t retreating from Iwaizumi, that was a good thing. Iwaizumi slowly, gently, placed a hand by Oikawa’s shoes. _Slowly but surely_ , he told himself. “Oikawa.” He said softly, shuffling closer to Oikawa so that one of his knees almost touched Oikawa’s shoes. Oikawa sniffled and turned his head away from Iwaizumi, but didn’t move away. _Good, he was doing pretty good so far_ , Iwaizumi thought. He moved his hand from the floor by Oikawa’s shoes to the tops of his shoes. “Oikawa?” He asked cautiously. From underneath his arms, Oikawa finally responded, soft but guarded. “Iwaizumi.”

Iwaizumi’s heart faltered. There it was again, _“Iwaizumi”_. Oikawa never called him “Iwaizumi”, always “Iwa-chan”. The only moments he called Iwaizumi _“Iwaizumi”_ were when he was dead serious or when he was angry at him. And since he wasn’t yelling at Iwaizumi, nor was he glaring like he would when he was angry, Iwaizumi could take a guess that Oikawa wasn’t kidding about their situation. He pursed his lips slightly. “Oikawa.” He said. “Talk to me.” He continued, voice soft, almost pleading. “Please?” Iwaizumi tilted his head so he was a bit more level to Oikawa, even if their eyes weren’t meeting. Oikawa sniffled and turned his head, opening his teary eyes to look at Iwaizumi. “We kissed.” He said, more tears falling from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.

Iwaizumi swallowed. “Yeah. We did.” He remembered the kiss, how soft Oikawa’s lips were, how his lips tasted like chocolate, and how Iwaizumi felt a hunger in his stomach for more. Iwaizumi wanted to know how Oikawa’s mouth tasted, and he couldn’t stop wanting to know, and he didn’t want anyone else to have a taste. He felt jealous of all the other girls who had probably kissed Oikawa after their dates.

Oikawa was quiet. He finally got what he wanted, finally kissed Iwaizumi, but… The way Iwaizumi reacted, it just felt like he blew it off. He didn’t even say anything about the kiss. True, _he_ didn’t either, but _he_ only didn’t because he didn’t want Iwaizumi to stop being his friend. Obviously the atmosphere between them both after the kiss spoke volumes to Oikawa, that Iwaizumi didn’t want to talk to him, but somehow he still wanted Oikawa’s friendship. But Oikawa wasn’t sure how he was going to handle just having Iwaizumi as a friend after their kiss, after Oikawa _very clearly_ showed Iwaizumi he wanted to be something more than just friends.

“Sorry.” Iwaizumi said, eyes sad. “Sorry, Oikawa.” He wanted to run his hands through Oikawa’s hair, to comfort him like he always did.

_But even the brightest star gets shadowed by the sun._

Oikawa sniffled. “What… What’re you sorry for?” He said, eyes darting away from Iwaizumi’s.

“Well… You’re crying, because we kissed.” Iwaizumi started to say tentatively, and Oikawa didn’t reply verbally, just sniffed a small bit, and Iwaizumi continued. “So… I mean…” Iwaizumi breathed in slowly. “I’m sorry, because… Obviously, you didn’t want to be kissed.” Iwaizumi murmured.

Oikawa lifted up his head, parts of his cheeks streaked with tears and lines where the folds of his Aoba Johsai jacket pressed into his skin. “Huh?”

Iwaizumi furrowed his eyebrows. “Well, I mean, that’s why you’re crying, right? Because we kissed?” He asked Oikawa, who shook his head slowly before lowering his head to rest his chin on the tops of his knees. “No…” He said, eyes boring into a spot on the floor as he refused to meet Iwaizumi’s gaze.

Iwaizumi adjusted himself so that he was mirroring Oikawa’s position, one arm resting on top of his knees, chin resting on top of the arm. “So what’s bothering you?” He asked, tilting his head over to the side so he could look Oikawa in the eye. Oikawa’s eyes stared into Iwaizumi’s eyes for a second, before he closed his eyes slowly. “I… I can’t tell you.” Iwaizumi felt a small twinge of annoyance. “How come?” He asked, voice still calm. More tears forced themselves out under Oikawa’s closed eyelids and ran down Oikawa’s cheeks, and a part of Iwaizumi wished he didn’t ask. “Because you’ll hate me for it.” Oikawa hiccupped.

At those words, Iwaizumi felt his heart ache. He swallowed. He had to be careful, had to think his words thoroughly. A million answers to Oikawa's statement bounced around in his mind, before he settled on one.

"You don't know that." Iwaizumi said, raising one hand to softly rest the tips of his fingers on Oikawa's arm.

Oikawa ducked his head again, hiding from Iwaizumi's gaze. Just feeling the gentle press of Iwaizumi's fingers on his arm had his heart beating out of control. He was too vulnerable like this. Iwaizumi always managed to tear down every single wall Oikawa tried to put up, and now wasn't any different. He probably didn't even know the unfair advantage he had over Oikawa. "I... I liked it." Oikawa mumbled, the words muffled under layers of clothing and nervousness.

Iwaizumi strained his ears to try and hear what Oikawa said. The sound of his voice, that was usually loud and proud, seemed so unfamiliar when laced with insecurity and timidness. "Oikawa, you're going to have to speak up for me to hear you, you know." Iwaizumi said, rubbing circles into Oikawa's arm using his thumb, unconsciously trying to get him to calm down. Oikawa tilted his head to the side. "I liked it. The kiss." He mumbled, a little louder this time, and Iwaizumi froze.

_He liked the kiss_. "You... Liked the kiss?" Iwaizumi was, for the most part, surprised, but a small lingering thought in his head kept nagging at him, telling him that it really was to be expected. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had always been like this their whole lives. He watched Oikawa nod jerkily. "Yeah." His voice was shaky, nervous, _afraid_. It felt foreign to Iwaizumi, hearing Oikawa's voice like that. It was quiet for a moment before Iwaizumi realized that he should say something.

He opened and closed his mouth uselessly for a second.

"Me too." He murmured. The atmosphere in the room felt too heavy for Iwaizumi. He wanted out. He wanted the heaviness to stop.

Oikawa's head shot up after Iwaizumi's words. "What?" He said, a slice of hope cutting in his words. Iwaizumi tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly decided to take residence in his throat. "I liked the kiss." Iwaizumi said, firmer this time.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Oikawa lifted his head up completely, back straightening as he looked Iwaizumi in the eye. "Iwa-chan, if you're joking..." He started. Iwaizumi was quick to answer. "I'm not." He stared Oikawa down before raising both of his hands to wipe the tears away from Oikawa's face. Oikawa sniffled one last time before a weak smile appeared on his face.

_The brightest star may always be shadowed by the sun, but night will always come and they will shine just as brilliantly as before._

Iwaizumi smiled back at Oikawa, relieved that the atmosphere in the room had noticeably grown lighter. "So, there's no more problem between us, right?" Iwaizumi asked, still smiling.

Oikawa felt the smile on his face freeze. Were they _really_ okay? Could things go back to the way they were, now that they kissed and told?

Could Oikawa handle being Iwaizumi's friend after they _both_ confessed to liking the kiss that happened between the two of them?

_Only one way to find out_ , Oikawa told himself as he nodded. "Yeah. No more problem." He raised a fist up, and Iwaizumi bumped his own fist against Oikawa's. "Great. Let's get to practice." Iwaizumi grinned.

Oikawa felt his heart drop, from his chest down to the soles of his feet. So nothing was going to happen, then. He shouldn’t have expected anything else, really. They were best friends, and that was it. "Age before beauty, Iwa-chan." He tried saying teasingly, but Iwaizumi immediately knew something was wrong.

"What?" Oikawa said when Iwaizumi shot him a confused glance. "Nothing's up with me." He said defensively.

"Then why are you being so defensive?" Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow, trickles of anger in his voice.

Oikawa gritted his teeth. "Nothing." He forced out.

"Something is wrong. And we're not leaving until you tell me, so you better tell me." Iwaizumi adjusted himself so his legs were folded and crossed his arms.

Oikawa pounded a fist on the floor, not minding the pain that shot up from his hand. " _Nothing_. _Is_. _Wrong_." His voice held the tone of a snarl.

Iwaizumi glared at Oikawa and grabbed his shoulder tightly. " _Look_ , Oikawa. You're frustrated about being stuck in this supply closet, I know. I am too. But the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get to practice. So just tell me what's wrong already." By the end of it, Iwaizumi was gripping Oikawa's shoulder tight enough that it started to hurt. It must've showed on Oikawa's face, because Iwaizumi quickly drew his hand back. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Oikawa frowned, first at Iwaizumi, then at the floor. He was quiet. He didn't speak, gathering his thoughts. Iwaizumi didn't try to break the silence.

"What... What happens now?" Oikawa said hesitantly.

Iwaizumi's eyes widened a fraction. "What do you mean?" He asked, unsure why his heart skipped a beat.

Oikawa's frown deepened. "I mean... We kissed." At Iwaizumi's sarcastically raised eyebrow, he added quickly. "And we liked it. What now?" Oikawa asked, gathering his courage to look Iwaizumi in the eye.

Iwaizumi paused, then shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. What do you want to happen?" He knew what he wanted, just not what Oikawa wanted. Well, not exactly. He just knew he wanted to kiss Oikawa. His lips were... addicting.

 Oikawa felt his insides churn. He wanted to date Iwaizumi. He knew he wanted to date Iwaizumi. But... Did Iwaizumi want to date him back, was the question that kept ringing in his mind. "... I don't know." Oikawa finally said, not ready to confess to Iwaizumi about his long-time crush on him. "And you? What did you have in mind?" Oikawa asked, forcing himself not to pull his eyes away from Iwaizumi's gaze.

"I don't really know. All I know is that I liked kissing you." Iwaizumi said. "Have you kissed anyone else before?" Oikawa asked Iwaizumi, stomach turning at the thought that someone else might have kissed Iwaizumi. "Yeah. I was asked on that one date, remember?" Oikawa nodded. He did remember. It was with a girl from their girls' volleyball club. She was the libero, if Oikawa was remembering rightly. "How was that kiss?" Oikawa pried.

Iwaizumi paused for a moment before answering. "It was weird. She was too short so I had to bend down. I didn't like her lip balm either. It felt way too glossy and layered. You kinda just put it on. Fruity too, not like yours. It's hard to explain. I just didn't like it." Iwaizumi said slowly, suddenly wondering if it meant something that he liked his kiss with Oikawa and not with the girls' volleyball club libero.

"Oh." Oikawa said softly.

"Oh?" Iwaizumi mimicked Oikawa. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just," Oikawa started. "Just 'Oh'."

"Oh. Okay." Iwaizumi said.

"We should get to practice now, Iwa-chan." Oikawa said before standing.

"Okay, but if you're going to be weird, I'm dragging you back into this supply closet." Iwaizumi said.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, Iwa-chan." Oikawa said holding a hand out to pull Iwaizumi up to his feet.

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and opened the door. The whole team was practicing properly, and they all turned to look at the two of them. Oikawa was quick to rush to the benches to wipe his face clean, and Iwaizumi closed the supply closet door behind him.

Iwaizumi kept an eye on Oikawa for the remainder of afternoon practice. He seemed lackluster, a trait that usually wasn't associated with his friend.

It seemed like the whole team noticed it too, not that they tried to ask about it. Twelve minutes inside the gym's supply closet was already too much. No one really wanted to pry, either.

Even if Oikawa seemed less than stellar, the tension was gone, and everyone was back to playing normally.

Oikawa's weird actions didn't surface until after practice, when he took too long before, during, and after showering.

Iwaizumi waited for him, of course.

"Oi, dumbass. I know you aren't just wasting water in there. You made me watch that two hour long documentary on water conservation." Iwaizumi called out. A few seconds later, Oikawa shut off the water. "I'm not wasting water, Iwa-chan." He replied from the showers. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm... I'm trying to think." Oikawa said, voice hesitant. "And what about?" Iwaizumi asked, leaning on the wall that separated the showers from the club room.

It took some time for Oikawa to answer. "Us. I'm thinking about us. About what's going to happen."

Iwaizumi stopped. Did it bother Oikawa that much? "You said you didn't know what you wanted." Iwaizumi said. "But with the way you're acting, you're making it seem like you _do_ know what you want; just not how to word it properly."

Oikawa stopped. Iwaizumi had hit the nail on the head. As always.

“Well, how am I supposed to word it, Iwa-chan? _You_ don’t even _know_ what you want.” Oikawa said.

“Which is why we’re going to talk about it, dumbass.” Iwaizumi replied, and Oikawa felt his heart stop. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but Iwaizumi was using the tone of voice he always did when he wasn’t going to back down. “ _Fine_.” Oikawa said as he shoved his uniform on.

Oikawa had his lips pursed when he exited the showers. “Okay. Talk.” He said curtly, and Iwaizumi handed him his bag. “ _Walk_.” He said insistently, and started walking; knowing Oikawa wouldn’t be too far behind him. He waited for Oikawa to finish locking up the gym doors before walking to the gates of the school. Iwaizumi waited until they were a few blocks from their houses before talking.

“So we kissed and we liked it.” Iwaizumi started. Oikawa didn’t reply, so he continued. “So I think… We shouldn’t hold ourselves back.” He continued, and Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Any by that, you mean…?” He prompted, and Iwaizumi coughed to try and clear the lump in his throat. “I’m saying… I’m saying that we don’t have to _not_ kiss.” Iwaizumi said, grip tightening on his bag’s handle, heart beating fast.

“So, you’re telling me… That we shouldn’t _not_ kiss?” Oikawa asked, slowly emphasizing the _‘not’_ in his statement. Iwaizumi’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah. I mean, it’s the most obvious answer. We’re both not dating anyone, so it’s not like there’s a problem.” Iwaizumi kept going, eyes darting from the floor under him to the scenery in front of him.

Oikawa froze in his steps. “Iwa-chan. If you… If you don’t stop me… I- I won’t-- I- I’ll do it, I really will.” Oikawa said, voice wavering.

Iwaizumi stood in front of Oikawa, stance strong and voice steady. “Do it. I won’t stop you.”

Oikawa pursed his lips, steeling himself. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Fine.”

“Fine!”

“Go ahead.”

“I will!”

“Okay.” The corners of Iwaizumi’s lips twitched up as Oikawa’s lower lip began to jut out. “Don’t pout.” He gently pinched Oikawa’s cheek. Oikawa swatted his hand away. “I’m not pouting!” He said, lower lip jutting out.

Iwaizumi let out a short laugh before tilting Oikawa’s head slightly downward, pressing his lips to Oikawa’s.

He tasted just like he did the first time they kissed. Chocolate and a hint of something only classified as Oikawa Tooru. Iwaizumi watched Oikawa’s eyes flutter closed and he closed his own. His lips formed perfectly with Oikawa’s as his hand cupped Oikawa’s cheek.

It felt like time slowed down, like it took forever before Oikawa pulled away, red cheeks and short breaths. “It’s getting late, Iwa-chan.” He breathed, and Iwaizumi felt the shortness of his own breaths. “Yeah. It is. We should get home.” He replied. Oikawa nodded and began walking, Iwaizumi right beside him. “So, what now?” Oikawa asked as they walked down the road. “Now? Now we go back to normal.” Iwaizumi said before stealing a kiss from Oikawa’s lips. “Except for that. That’s the new part.” He grinned. Iwaizumi was promptly bumped on the shoulder by an open hand. “Iwa-chan! You’re stealing all of my kisses!” Oikawa said, cheeks a deep pink. “You don’t mind, do you?” Iwaizumi asked, suddenly concerned. “You already stole my first, so I guess I can’t mind you stealing the rest.” Oikawa shrugged.

“Wait, first?” Iwaizumi was shocked, to say the least. “Yeah, _first_. I was saving it for someone important.” Oikawa crossed his arms in front of him. “Something wrong with that?” He asked defensively, cheeks reddening since he _was_ saving it for Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi, who raised his hands in a defensive manner. “No! No. I didn’t expect it, is all.” Iwaizumi said, before lowering his hands. “I didn’t pitch you for a romantic.” He continued. Oikawa let out a small _‘hmph’_. “There’s a lot of things you might not know about me, Iwa-chan.” He said. _‘Like the fact that I’ve had a serious crush on you since forever.’_

“That’s fine.” Iwaizumi said. “We’ll always be together, so it’s not like it matters if I know everything about you now.”

Oikawa reddened. “J- Jeez, Iwa-chan. When’d you get so smooth?” He asked, the corners of his lips twitching up. “Huh?” Iwaizumi crossed his arms. “Nevermind, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiled, and Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, heart doing barrel rolls in his chest. “Whatever. Let’s get home.” Iwaizumi grinned, and Oikawa nodded. “Yes, _Mom_.” Before bursting into a sprint to escape Iwaizumi’s swift bop to his head.

“You seem chipper.” Iwaizumi’s dad commented across the table from Iwaizumi, who shrugged casually. “I feel pretty good.” He said. His dad nodded, eyes falling to a white and blue nylon bracelet on Iwaizumi’s wrist. “Where’d you get that bracelet?” He asked. “He got it from Tooru, wasn’t that so sweet of him?” Iwaizumi’s mother answered before Iwaizumi could swallow the food in his mouth. Iwaizumi’s dad let out a small chuckle. “It looks good on you, Hajime. Tooru sure knows how to pick ‘em.” He said, and Iwaizumi felt his cheeks turn pink at the off-handed comment.

“You seem happy.” Oikawa’s sister mentioned to Oikawa as he answered homework in front of his webcam. If their schedules lined up, he could Skype with her. Tonight was one of those nights, thankfully. “I’m okay.” Oikawa said, a small smile on his face as he scribbled down an equation. “You’re a lot more than just ‘okay’, Tooru.” She said fondly. “Who is it this time?” Her voice crackled slightly, and Oikawa twisted the headphone cord a bit before answering. “Anyone.” Oikawa said. “It’s Hajime, isn’t it?”

Oikawa’s hand stopped writing. “Yeah. It is.” He said softly. He really could only talk to his sister about it, about Iwaizumi, about how he felt. She didn’t mind when she would wake up to messages of Oikawa’s conflict about his feelings about his best friend. “So what happened?” She asked, voice hushed since it was getting late and Takeru had just gone to sleep.

“Can I be honest with you?” Oikawa gripped his pencil a tad bit tighter before rolling it between his fingers. “Of course you can be honest with me. We’ve known each other before we even _met_ Hajime. I like to think that puts me higher up the friends list.” She joked, and Oikawa laughed softly. “No, he’s most definitely higher up the friends list. It’s all in the propinquity, Sis.” Oikawa said. “Don’t use your fancy love jargon on me, Tooru.” His sister replied, and Oikawa smiled. Talking to his sister was always so relaxing. They could talk about anything they felt like, and it wouldn’t matter because they understood. Sometimes he felt like she understood him just as well as Iwaizumi understood him. “Just tell me the newest Hajime-related problem you’ve been going through.”

“It’s… It’s actually not a problem. We kissed.” Oikawa said, head ducked down slightly, biting down on his lower lip to try and hide a smile. “You did?!” His sister immediately covered her mouth when she realized how loud she accidentally made her voice. “That-- You’re dating now? That’s great, Tooru--” She was interrupted by Oikawa letting out a small cry. “Tooru?”

“We aren’t dating.” Oikawa chewed on his lower lip. “We just kissed. He took… Most of my first kisses.” He mumbled. “Most of?” His sister questioned, and how she wished she was in Tooru’s room so she could shake his shoulders back and forth, ready to pull out every detail she could. “Most of, yeah. We kissed, and then we kind of ignored each other for a while… But then the team locked us in the supply closet, and we confessed that we _both_ liked the kiss… I didn’t think I could hope for much more than that, but then he came up with this crazy idea that we won’t _have_ to _not_ kiss each other, because we aren’t dating anybody, so it’s not like anyone’s going to get hurt…” Oikawa trailed off.

“Tooru… You’re only going to hurt yourself if you do this, you know.” His sister said sadly. “I _know_. I know. But it might be the only way for me to…” Oikawa sighed. “It’s complicated. You might not understand.” His sister shook her head. “I might not. But I can’t stop you. So I’ll just be here for you; a shoulder to cry on. Virtual shoulder.” She added after a beat of silence. “Thanks.” Oikawa said, a shaky smile on his face. “No problem, brat.” His sister said fondly. “Now finish your homework.” Oikawa grinned. “Shouldn't _you_ finish _your_ work?” He laughed softly, and his sister joined in after a second. “Yeah, yeah. We’ve both got work to do, so let’s do it, okay? And stop worrying. You’re an Oikawa. What’s the worst that could happen?” She said, clicking back to the presentation she was studying a few moments ago. _‘A lot of things could happen.’_ Oikawa thought to himself as he continued his Mathematics homework.

_‘A lot of things… That I refuse to think about.’_ Oikawa murmured the numbers under his breath as he banished the negative thoughts his sister spoke about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is like 5k words??? i am honestly surprised by my own skill. or boredom.  
> [edit: also... I've just not been feeling myself lately, and I find it hard to even motivate myself to get up in the morning. It's beginning to affect most aspects of my life, much less write and sometimes even eat, and I didn't want to go into detail, but I thought you should all know. I don't know if the next chapter will be up to par with the latest chapters, or even if I will be able to finish the next chapter in time. I'm terribly sorry about it, and I hope you can understand.]
> 
> lastly, i have plans to change the title from 'Love Stuck' to 'Lips' because it does seem to fit better into the whole story and plot and stuff  
> i would appreciate if you shared your thoughts on the new title

**Author's Note:**

> im dead im so dead i procrastinated too hard (also, i do plan on continuing this, its just that it's. in the middle of the week. hell week. so, yeah.
> 
> if i missed anything, please tell me in a comment :)


End file.
